Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed regulations requiring the placement of a warning graphic on all cigarette packages sold in the United States. Such a warning graphic would include an image depicting some aspect of deleterious health effects associated with long-term cigarette use. The warning graphic would occupy approximately the upper one-half of each of the two major faces (front and back) of each cigarette package. In other words, it would occupy approximately one-half of the package area typically used for display of the cigarette maker's brand logo. The brand logo would accordingly be compressed and moved to the bottom half of the front and back faces of the package.
The image used in the warning graphic it intended to be visually unappealing and to evoke a negative emotional response. It is thought that the prominent display of such an image on the cigarette package at the time of sale will more effectively apprise potential users of the risks of smoking, and therefore discourage use. Whether or not it will in fact have this intended effect, it is reasonable to assume that most users would find these images disturbing, would prefer not to look at these images, and would not like to be frequently displaying them to others.
It is possible for a cigarette user to conceal the cigarette package in a pocket, purse, or the like, or to transfer the cigarettes to a cigarette case, and thus reduce or avoid displaying the warning graphic. However, this may be inconvenient as it may involve some changes in the user's behavior. Additionally, many cigarette users exhibit strong brand loyalty. The brand of cigarette a user smokes becomes part of that user's personal identity and expression, to the point where the user not only would not wish to conceal the brand, but enjoys exhibiting it in any of various ways.
An unrecognized need exists for some means of concealing the warning graphic without significantly altering user behavior and/or without simultaneously concealing the cigarette brand. Additionally, an unrecognized opportunity exists to replace the space occupied by a warning graphic with something else, particularly commercial advertising.